Healthy Fats and Your Period

Overtraining is an easy thing. As runners we’re dedicated, determined and ready to hit our goals.

So, when we start to feel an abnormal twinge in our knee, or a tickle in our throat many of us push on, rather than back off, just so that we can make those training goals and weekly prescribed workouts.

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Overtraining can do a number on our body. Everything from not sleeping soundly, to irritability, to viruses, coughs and colds. And then there are the more serious consequences, like fractured bones and strained muscles. While the former will likely only have you on the sidelines for a day or 2 (if that), the latter can bench you for the rest of the running season.

The one sign of overtraining that many of us gals ignore is the lack of (or irregularity in) a monthly period. Many runners don’t even recognize it as a warning sign, yet an estimated 20% of women experience it.

This is a touchy, complicated subject...but lets touch on it.

Female Athlete Triad

Absence or irregular periods (of 3 consecutive months in a row) is known as amenorrhea and is part of a larger condition known as Female Athlete Triad. While many of us runners show signs of it openly, others of us might be living with it without even realizing.

For females, Female Athlete Triad occurs when energy intake (calories) does not meet energy expenditure causing a deficit of critical nutrients and minerals. This, in turn, influences not only performance but bone health, menses and reproductive function. Female runners who operate on low percentage of body fat (typically below 17%), can lose their regular menstrual cycles, and increase the incidence of stress fractures and low bone density.

Absence of period, low body fat, stress fractures; these are all warning signs of insufficient fuel for a healthy, reproductive life. And, if you don’t have enough energy for reproductive health, you definitely are not making any substantial muscle / fitness gains.

The body is smart. And efficient. So essentially, when we do not get enough energy after our work-out to replenish those losses, our body stops any function not essential to day to day survival (as in your cells and brain needs energy to keep your body functioning but your period isn’t essential to daily living).

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The Solution

Start taking in more calories now. While some more serious cases of amenorrhea may require you to back off the mileage, many people don’t necessarily need to cut the training. Rather, the need is to increase the calories. While there are a lot of confounding factors, the simple scenario is that if you’re training for a marathon, and you miss your period, you’re underfueling.

Focus your calories on healthy fats, such as avocado, raw nuts, flax seed and coconut oil. These foods will allow you to easily boost calories without a lot of noticeable volume. One tablespoon of coconut oil swirled in your oats or on toast or 1 scoop of nut butter into your smoothie, for example, will add 100 calories to your meal. Beyond quick calories healthy fats help your body absorb fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and give your body the building blocks it needs to make hormones.

Authors note: This article is just brushing the surface of this condition. If you or a friend is suffering, or think you might be suffering from signs of Female Athlete Triad speak to your physician or contact a Registered Dietitian.

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